Costa Rican authorities catch suspects retrieving 629 kilos of cocaine off Guanacaste coast

September 28^th, 2015 (ICR News) Costa Rican authorities intercepted a Costa Rican-flagged fishing vessel carrying 629 kilos of cocaine off the coast of Guanacaste on Saturday, after air units spotted the crew retrieving the shipment from the sea, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MSP).

Three Costa Rican nationals and one Nicaraguan with residency in Costa Rica were taken into custody.  None of the suspects have a prior criminal history, according to authorities.

The operation was carried out in a coordinated effort by the Air Surveillance Service (SVA), the Costa Rican Coast Guard, and the Drug Control Police (PCD).

The 45-foot vessel was first spotted at 2 p.m. on Saturday by the SVA while traveling 51 miles off the coast of Playa Flamingo, Guanacaste.

According to authorities, the suspects were seen pulling large packages from the sea.

Authorities later found that the packages were equipped with radio-tracking devices used by the suspects to locate the floating shipment of cocaine, which authorities said totaled 629 kilograms.